Lubricating apparatus



oct- F. s. BARKS 33,441

LUBRIGATING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 21. 1928 Patented Oct. 29 1929 PATENT OFFICE FRANK S. BABES, OF ST. LOUIS, IISSOUBI LUBBICATING APPARATUS Application filed January 21, 1928. Serial 170. 248,355.

This invention relates to lubricating apparatus and with regard to certain more specific features to an improved grease gun.

This invention comprises an improvement on the invention set forth in my Patent No.

1,633,304, dated June 21, 1927.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of an improved grease gun or valve having a balanced construction with a normally vertical handle adapted to receive acertain manual thrust or pressure in a manner adapted to greatly facilitate operation, that is, said thrust is used to press the gun to a grease fitting and also to control the time of opening of the gun independently of the time that the device is pressed to said fitting. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combination of elements, features of construction, and arangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structure hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is illustrated one of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken through the gun and shows certain portions in full; and

'Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing in solid lines the manner in which the gun is held in the hand for pressing it to a fitting; and in dotted lines shows how the gun is held in the hand for opening the same independently.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown the gun G which is placed at or near and on the end of a supply line L. The supply line L receives grease or the like under'pressure and delivers it to the gun. When the gun is open, grease is forced from the line through the gun and into an outlet pipe or line 205, which line is provided wlth a nipple 1 having a tapered portion 3 adapted to engage (under mechanical pressure) a fitting 5. The fitting 5 receives grease from the nipple 1 when enga ment is effected under pressure and when t e gun G is opened. As long as the gun is open, grease flows from the line L. A

The gun G comprises a bod 139 which is provided with a longitudinal differential bore 141. This bore 141 is rovided with a plunger 143 which is held sli ably in a section 145 of said bore and emerges from the bore by way of an extension piece 146 screwed to said plunger 143. A suitable leather packing ring 144 is employed between the plunger 143 and the extension 146.

The section 145 of the bore 141, as well as the plunger 143 are of a relatively small diameter so that leakage therearound and therefrom is negligible, and in view of the packing 144 cannot be detected even at high internal pressures.

At its upper portion, the bore 141 is intersected by a laterally formed passage 149. The stem or plunger 143 crosses the passage 149 and is provided at its lower end with a nose 151 adapted to ress a ball check 1-53 from its seat 155. T e portion 157 of the bore 141 around the nose 151 is large enough to permit passage of greases and like fluids therethrough.

The plunger 143 is adapted to be pressed down by means of an ad ustable pivot pin 160 locked to a handle 159, and cooperating with a pivot bearing 161 of said upper portion 146 of the plunger 143. The handle 159 is pivoted by oscillating links 163 to the said bo y 139. A downwardly extending slotted lug 165 of said handle 159 is adapted to slidably engage a stud 167 made fast to the upper portion of the body 139. The purpose of this engagement is to limit the travel of the lug 165 of the handle 159 between the u per portion of the body 139 and the head 0 the stud 167. The travel of the handle 159 is thus limited between predetermined positions.

Referring now again to the ball check valve 153, it may be noted that the ball is normally held up to a seat by means of a spring 177. The spring 177 reacts at its lower end against a bored plug 179 which is screwed into the passage 141. It is evident that if grease or the like under pressure, passes upwardly through the passage in the bored plug 179, that it will tend to seat the ball valve 153. The spring 177 assists this action. By this means the handle 159 is held in its Fig.1 position with the lug 165'? referably near or against the head of the stu 167. If it is desired to open the check valve 153, the handle 159 may be depressed, whereupon the nose 151 of the cooperatin plunger 143 unseats the ball valve 153. filence, grease may flow around the ball valve 153 to empty itself into the passage 149 by movement through the opening 157 around the said nose 151. Release of the handle again permits the ball valve 153 to seat under incoming pressure of the fluid and pressure of the spring 177.

The lower end of the body 139 is closed by means of a bored and tapped tip or cap 181.

The bore of this tip 181 is provided with a check valve 183 which is adapted to open under influence of incoming pressure but to close under outgoing pressure. The valve 183 is normally held to a seat by means of a sprin 185 reacting thereon. The gasket 187 held fast to the valve body provides a tight seat on 'the'enclosure 181. The valve body 183 is provided with a downwardly extending nose 189 for purposes hereinafter to be described. It should be noted that the s ring 185 reacts against the plug 179 as was t 1e case with the spring 177. I

The outlet end of the passage 149 is threaded to receive said outlet pipe 205. It should be noted that the pipe 205 is placed in such a position extending forwardly from the body 139, that the fingers of an operator may be laced thereabove and/or therebelow. Fig. 2 s ows two fingers on each side of the outlet 205 but it is to be understood that only one finger may be placed above or below the outlet, as for instance only the index. finger above or all fingers may be placed above or below.

However, one of the important features of the invention is that the fingers may be placed as described and that the handle 159 is formed substantially parallel or in the same general direction as the body 139, that is, substantially at right angles to or laterally of the outlet pipe 205; also, that the handle 159 is pivoted near the one end of said body, preferably the upper end.

With the above construction the gun may be gripped as shown by solid lines in Fig. 2, in such manner that the hand H is arranged to provide pressure at or near a region Y. This region or point Y is high enough on the handle 159 that the leverage effect by means of the handle is not great enough to openthe ball valve 153, in view of the spring 177, but

this pressure is effective to push the whole gun forwardly to engage the nipple 1 with the sure, if desired, and at the same time increase the leverage at the handle 159, so that the resistance of the spring 177 is overcome and the 'ball valve 153 opened.

It is to be understood that by further rolling the hand H one way or the other that the pressure ma be raised or lowered'as much as desired; 'a so that the original gri may be lower than that shown, say, with t e outlet 205 positioned between the index and second fingers, or with all fingers below the outlet 205 and the thumb lower down on the handle 159, as above described.

The above improved action is due to the g advantageous arrangement or combination and relative positions between the valved body 139, the outlet 205 and the handle 159. The same pressure which holds the gun to the fitting may be kept out of play or brought into play for independently opening the valve 153, merely by chan ing its point of application. Thls is done Ey simply changing the position of the hand without necessarily varying the pressure or substantially changin the character of the grip around the ban le 159 and body 139. At the same time the lateral positioning of the body 139 with respect to the outlet 205 is better adapted to permit of reaching into reconstricted regions tin 5. 1 h

' mere y rippin the andle 159a ainst the liody 139, the plui iger 143 is depres ed to openthe ball check valve 153. Hence,grease flows from the line L, in through the tip 181,

opening the valve 183, passing through the open check valve 149, out through the outlet 205 and to the bearing to be greased. The nose 189 on the valve 183 permits a more or less stream-line action of the grease past said valve. Furthermore, when the valve 183 reseats, then the nose 189 acts to pierce the grease behind the valve whereby the valve may better seat with less back pressure required, that is the valve is more sensitive.

After a bearing has been sufliciently greased, the grip on the handle 159 is released or the leverage thereon is decreased, whereupon the ball check valve 153 closes under action of the spring 177 and the pressure therebehind. At the same or subsequent time gun has been pressed against thefor applying the outlet 205 to a fit-' operator can push hard with the device against a fitting without automatically opening the valve, as is true in prior structures, where the pressing act opens the valve automatically. Here the time of opening the valve is controlled independently of the time that the device is pressed against the fitting.

It will be noted that the return check valve 183 is not absolutely necessary for operation per se, but that its presence results in a compression being set up in the pipe 205 and connecting lines when the valve is opened that will provide an initial increase in pressure of the order of five hundred pounds or so. This is due to the displacing movement of the plunger 143.

In view of the above, it is believed that the various features of the invention will be clear without further elaboration, and it will be seen that with the apparatus herein described, the several objects of the invention are attained and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above construction without dearting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and notin a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a grease gun the combination of an outlet line adapted to engage with a fitting by pressure, a body fastened to said outlet -line and positioned laterally with respect thereto, valved means within the' body for controlling the flow of grease therethrough and to said outlet line, a handle ivoted near the upper end of said body an adapted to control said valved means by pressure on the handle, said handle being also sitioned laterally of the outlet line, said andle in length intersecting the axial line of said outlet line so that pressure applied to the handle at a point of low leverage will press the gun to a fitting without opening said valved means and pressure applied at a point of greater leverage will open the valved means and maintain the gun in connection with said fitting.

2. In a grease gun the combination of an L outlet line adapted to engage with a fitting by pressure, a body fastened to said outlet line and positioned laterally with respect therto, a grease inlet at the lower end of said body, valved means within the body fol. controlling the flow of ease therethrough and to said outlet line, a andle ivoted near the upper end of said body an adapted to control said valved "means by pressure on the handle, said handle being also positioned laterall of the outlet line and substantially1 paralle to said body, said handle in lengt intersecting the axial line of said outlet line so that pressure applied to the handle at a point of low leverage will press the to a tting without 0 ening said valve means and pressure app ied at a point of greater leverage will open the valved means and maintain the gun in connection with said fitting.

3. In a grease gun the combination of a body, an outlet pipe fastened to said body and having its axial line arranged laterally thereto, the axial line extended passing through the body, valved means within the body for controlling the flow of grease therethrough and to said outlet pipe, a handle ivoted near one end of said body for contro ling said valve, the length of the handle being positioned substantially along the body and being arranged laterally of the length of the outlet pipe, the length of the handle crossing said axial line of the outlet pipe at least in side elevation.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 17th day of January, 1928.

FRANK S. BARKS. 

